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CD reviews
"Sacred Treasures of Venice"
The London Oratory Schola Cantorum
Dir: Charles Cole
rec: March 13 - 15, 2023, London, St Augustine's Church, Kilburn
Hyperion - CDA68427 (© 2024) (66'30")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Giovanni BASSANO (1560/61-1617):
Dic nobis Maria a 6 [7];
Giovanni CROCE (c1557-1609):
Buccinate in neomenia a 8 [4];
Cantate Domino a 4;
In spiritu humilitatis a 8;
O sacrum convivium a 4 [5];
Giacomo FINETTI (fl 1605-1631):
O crux ave, spes unica a 4;
Andrea GABRIELI (c1510-1586):
Laetare Jerusalem a 5 [1];
Maria Magdalene, Maria Jacobi, et Salome a 7 [2];
Giovanni GABRIELI (c1554/57-1612):
Beata es virgo Maria a 6 (C 8) [6];
Ego sum qui sum a 8 (C 29) [6];
Jubilate Deo omnis terra a 8 (C 136);
O quam suavis a 7 (C 10) [6];
Claudio MERULO (1533-1604):
Adoramus te Domine a 6 [3];
Beata viscera a 6 [3];
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567-1643):
Adoramus te Christe a 6 (SV 289) [8];
Cantate Domino a 6 (SV 293) [8]
Sources:
[1] Andrea Gabrieli, Sacrae cantiones, liber primus, 1565;
[2] Andrea & Giovanni Gabrieli, Concerti di Andrea, et di Gio: Gabrieli ... continenti musica di chiesa, madrigali, et altro, per voci, et stromenti musicali, à 6. 7. 8. 10. 12. et 16, 1587;
[3] Claudio Merulo, Il secondo libro de mottetti, 1593;
Giovanni Croce, [4] Motetti ... comodi per le voci, e per cantar con ogni stromento, 1594;
[5] Motetti a 4 voci, libro primo, 1597;
[6] Giovanni Gabrieli, Sacrae Symphoniae, 1597
[7] Giovanni Bassano, Motetti per concerti ecclesiastici a 5, 6, 7, 8 & 12 voci, 1598;
[8] Giulio Cesare Bianchi, ed., Libro primo de' motetti in lode d'Addio, 1620
With the disc under review the London Schola Cantorum Oratory continues its exploration of the repertoire of the renaissance that plays a major part in the liturgical practice of the (Catholic) London Oratory. The previous discs were devoted to Christmas music and music of the Spanish Renaissance respectively. With the present disc we move to Venice, and to music at the brink of a new time, which saw an increase in the importance of the text, to be illustrated in the music, and the introduction of the basso continuo. However, the music selected for the programme is mostly written in the stile antico. The exception is Claudio Monteverdi, who is represented with two motets which were included in a collection published in 1620, and in which the voices are supported by a basso continuo.
Obviously the two Gabrielis take a major place in the programme. The best-known of them is Giovanni, who died when the new style had already established itself. In the last collection of his works one can see the influence of the ideal of text expression, but on a rather modest scale. His motets performed here are the last specimens of a long and impressive tradition. Even so, in the second half of the 16th century composers were increasingly aware of the possibilities of illustrating words and phrases in the music, and one can find examples in the motets by Giovanni Gabrieli performed here. Two of them reflect the opulent style which was a hallmark of Venetian music: both Jubilate Deo omnis terra, a setting of Psalm 99 (100), and Ego sum, an antiphon at Matins on Easter Sunday, are scored for eight voices in two choirs. The latter attests to Gabrieli's treatment of the text: "I have slept, and I took rest" is set in a restrained and intimate manner; the following words, "et resurrexit" (and I have risen) are set in a strongly contrasting way, reflecting the joy of the resurrection.
Andrea Gabrieli did not feel the influence of the new time; he died well before it manifested itself. However, his music is an example of the growing connection between text and music which came especially to the fore in the madrigals written in his time. He himself also contributed to the genre. Laetare Jerusalem is a setting of the introit at mass on the fourth Sunday of Lent: "Be glad, Jerusalem, and come together all you who love her: rejoice with gladness". The latter words are vividly illustrated in triple-time, followed by a more restrained setting of the words "you who were in sadness". Maria Magdalene, Maria Jacobi, et Salome is a lively setting of verses from the Gospel after Mark (ch 16), which tells about the women who followed Jesus, visiting his tomb and meeting the angels who tell them that he is risen from the dead.
Claudio Merulo and Giovanni Bassano are of different generations, but have in common that they are associated with different genres. Merulo is almost exclusively known as a composer of keyboard music. He has left a substantial amount of sacred music, which is seldom performed. It is nice that two motets from his pen are included here. They are taken from a collection printed in 1593, which indicates that they are firmly written in the stile antico. Bassano has earned fame as composer and theorist of diminutions: today the examples included in his instruction manual of 1585 are frequently played and imitated. He has left two collections of sacred works for five to twelve voices. Dic nobis Maria is a setting of a text taken from the sequence Victimae paschali laudes. It has the character of a dialogue, as Mary is asked what she has seen when she visited the tomb in which Jesus had been laid. The use of triple-time fits the joyful content of this motet.
Whereas most composers in the programme are well-known, Giacomo Finetti is a largely unknown quantity. He is the only one here who was not connected to St Mark's; he rather acted as maestro de cappella at the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Frari. O crux, ave, spes unica is a setting of the ninth verse from the hymn Vexilla regis, sung on Passion Sunday in Holy Week and at the Feast of the Holy Cross. It comes with a basso continuo part, but that is omitted here. The same goes for the two motets by Monteverdi, which are among his most frequently-performed works.
Giovanni Croce is not unknown, but his music is not that often performed. It was a good decision to include four motets of his pen at the end of the programme. Croce was born in Choggia in 1557 and moved to Venice around 1570, probably at the instigation of Gioseffo Zarlino, also a native of Choggia, who was maestro di cappella of St Mark's from 1565 until his death in 1590. In 1574 Croce was hired as a boy soprano at St Mark's, and ten years later he published his first collection of music. This was the start of his career, which resulted in his being appointed maestro di cappella of St Mark's in 1603, as successor to Baldassare Donato. Between 1591 and 1610 he published fourteen collections of sacred music; compositions of his were also included in anthologies. He also wrote madrigals, but that part of his work has only sparingly influenced his sacred oeuvre. His motets are considered conservative, and certainly three pieces performed here confirm that. Buccinate in neomenia is a setting of verses from Psalms 80 (81) and 97 (98), and here Croce does not miss the opportunities to illustrate textual elements in the music.
"The Schola is at its heart and purpose a liturgical choir, and we present this recording as an insight into the liturgical life of the London Oratory, where this music can be heard in its proper context", Charles Cole states in the booklet. This seems to be intended as a kind of excuse that the performances are not entirely 'authentic'. It is true that the choir is larger than most vocal ensembles in the Renaissance may have been. However, especially in Venice's St Mark's large ensembles were not unknown; in fact, the maestri di cappella had quite a number of singers at their disposal. Otherwise pieces for up to twelve or sixteen voices could not be performed. In this recording all the motets are performed without instrumental participation. We are used to hear Venetian repertoire with cornetts and sackbuts, but we should realize that such performances were the exception. Performances with voices a capella, probably with organ accompaniment only, were the most common, certainly at Low Masses. In fact, the performances here may be closer to practices in Venice in the late 16th century than those of the two previous recordings I mentioned above. The only piece where I was not really satisfied with, is Monteverdi's Cantate Domino, where I found the tempo a bit too slow, and missed the flexibility it needs. That may well be due to the size of the choir.
However, overall I am happy by what I have heard here. This undoubtedly is a very fine choir, and it is nice that it has been given the opportunity to present itself by the Hyperion label. I hope that there is more to come.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
London Oratory Schola Cantorum